BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored 32 points, Derrick White added 25 points on seven 3-pointers, and the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday night. defeated 120-95.
Jayson Tatum had 18 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Celtics pull away in the second half.
The Cavaliers maintained the pace from the start, making 11 of 42 3-pointers. But the Celtics were even more effective from the outside, making 18 of 46 from beyond the arc in this game.
This allowed Boston to maintain a 15-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The Celtics then started the final period on a 10-2 run to extend their lead to 102-79.
Donovan Mitchell had 33 points and six assists for the Cavaliers. He became the fourth player in league history to score 30 or more points in six consecutive games to open a playoff series, joining Michael Jordan (three times), Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain.
Darius Garland added 14 points.
Game 2 will be played Thursday night in Boston.
White picked up where he left off with 38 points and 25 points in the final two games against the Miami Heat in the first round.
White led the Celtics’ offense while the Cavaliers were hot from the 3-point line early. It was the third time this postseason he made at least six threes.
Both teams played without a starting center. Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen suffered a rib contusion in the first round against Orlando and missed his fourth straight game. Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis missed his second consecutive game with a right calf strain.
The top-seeded Celtics got an extra break after a quick win over the Heat in the first round. They looked like a well-rested team, opening out to a 12-2 lead with nine of those points coming from Brown.
Mitchell was just as aggressive in Cleveland, scoring eight points during the Cavaliers’ 21-9 spurt to return to the lead.
But Boston settled in and finished the first half with a 19-11 run to take a 40-34 lead in the second period.
The opening game total of 74 points was the most in a Celtics playoff game since 1990 and the third-most in franchise history.
The Celtics entered halftime with a 59-49 lead.